Through the Odds of the Ages (And a Few Evens)
by gleeluver96
Summary: Emison starting in kindergarten and through the teenage years. The one were Emily knew Alison was meant to be hers from an early age. Reviews are greatly appreciated. I read each one.


**I know this isn't an update to ready or not, but I have a bit of writer's block with that story. I plan to finish it because I know there are only a few chapters left but It's been difficult. This story I started in January and I have spent countless time editing and developing this story. It's what I wish I would have done with Ready or Not.**

 **I put a song with each age that I though fit the story line. Let me know what you think of them.**

 **Disclaimer. I do not own Pretty Little Liars.**

 _Age 5_ – No Words by The Script

Emily Fields was not happy. Her mother had been trying to warm her up to the idea of school for a month now, but Emily was not interested. She would have to stay at school for _hours,_ and her momma couldn't stay with her. So, every time Pam Fields talked about school, a scowl would form on little Emily's face. Emily had silently decided that she was not going to school, and there was no one in the world that could make her. Not even daddy, though Wayne Fields was not going to be home for this special occasion.

He wasn't expected to be back until the week before Thanksgiving. Not having her father around soured her mood even more. Usually Emily was such a sweet little girl. She never threw any tantrums. She didn't whine when her mother put broccoli on her dinner plate. She didn't cry when her mother told her, no.

But on the first day of school, boy did she cry and whine and throw the biggest tantrum known to man. Pam was stunned by the child that took Emily's place that morning. No amount of bribing had worked. Finally, with the promise that she wouldn't leave Emily's side until she was ready, Emily calmed enough to be put in the car.

When they arrived, Pam helped Emily from the car. She straightened the head band on her hair, and smoothed out her jean overalls, and pulled down the long sleeves of her pink shirt down her arms. As Pam turned to grab Emily's Little Mermaid backpack and matching lunch box, Emily scrunched her nose and pulled her sleeves back up around her elbows. Her mother noticed her rolled up sleeves and sighed. There was no point in fighting her. Emily was a sweet child, but she was also stubborn. So, Pam helped Emily into her backpack, and carried the lunch box herself. Hand in hand, they walked to Mrs. Parker's class.

Emily was the last one to arrive. Her tantrum had made them 15 minutes late. The classroom was many different colors. There were shapes and numbers and letters all over the room walls. There was a carpet on one side of the room with a letter or number in each square. On the other side were round tables, with multiple chairs at each one. There were children her age everywhere. Some were in small groups, and some sat by themselves. They were coloring and drawing or playing with the many toys and puzzles around the room.

"Hello, you must be Mrs. Fields." A lady in a yellow sundress and a cardigan walked over to them. She wore a big smile on her face, and blue eyeshadow. She had curly honey blonde hair, and perfect teeth. "And this must be Emily." The teacher said smiling down at her. Emily took one look at her and decided that she didn't like her, not one bit.

Instead of saying hello, Emily grabbed hold of her mother's leg and promptly hid behind it as she buried her face into her mother's thigh. She heard the teacher laugh, and her mother laughed along nervously. Emily could hear the whispering to each other but couldn't understand exactly what they were saying.

"Emily." Ms. Parker called out to her. Pam stroked her hair, until she unburied her face enough to look at the teacher. "Why don't I show you were to put your things?" She said trying to coax Emily away. Emily looked up to her mother. After Pam nodded her head, Emily let out a large humph. She reluctantly grabbed Ms. Parker's hand and allowed herself to be pulled to the back of the classroom. She looked back to make sure her mother was still there.

Ms. Parker showed Emily where she could hang her backpack, and then showed her the cubby with her name on it, which Ms. Parker placed Emily's lunch box inside. As Ms. Parker went to say something else, when her attention was drawn elsewhere. "Noel, we do not color on the walls." She said, marching over to where a little boy was scribbling on the walls. With Ms. Parker's attention no longer on her, Emily went to make her way back to her mother.

Emily felt her heart freeze in her chest, when she realized her mom was no longer standing by the classroom door. Without thinking Emily took off in a sprint out the door back to the way she came in. It wasn't a large school. The actual elementary school was next door, so Emily had no problem racing her way out to the parking lot.

A whimper escaped Emily as she realized, there was no one in the parking lot. Her eyes scanned furiously trying find her mom's car. She couldn't. Immediately tears blurred Emily's vision and sobs wracked through her body. She didn't know how long she stood there crying. It wasn't until someone took her hand in theirs that she was able to stop for a moment. Emily's head snapped to the person standing beside her.

"Please don't cry." Emily wiped her eyes and sniffed, as she couldn't see through her tears. She used the back of her free hand to wipe her eyes. There was a girl standing beside her. Emily's tears halted, and her breath caught in her throat. There was an angel standing beside her. The girl had long blonde hair that fell below her waist, and the most piercing blue eyes. Emily thought she was perfect. She wore a pretty pink dress, with sunflowers stitched on to the hem.

"I'll stay with you until your mommy comes back, if you stay with me til' my mommy comes back." The angel said softly. She stared at Emily with her concerned eyes. Emily had no choice but to agree. She nodded her head and let her angel lead her back to the classroom.

Ms. Parker who was busy with some of the rowdier children, didn't even notice two of her students missing. Emily was pulled into a corner of the room that didn't have any students too close. The corner had books lined on shelf on one side. Which was why there weren't any other students. The girl sat down with her back leaning against the wall. She crossed her ankles and fixed her dress so that it laid right above her knees. She turned her blue eyes up to Emily expectantly. When Emily made no move, the blonde angel patted the spot next to her, and urged Emily to sit. She sat crossed legged next to her companion.

"Do you know how to read?" The girl asked, though it sounded more like a demand. Emily blushed and shook her head. "That's okay." The girl said grabbing a book. "I'll read to you, and you can just look at the pictures." The girl then proceeded to read Curious George. She would stop periodically through the book to make a comment about how terrible the monkey was being. She would pause to see if Emily would say anything, and when she didn't she would continue on reading.

Today the teacher wanted for the students to spend the day getting comfortable. So, Emily and her angel spent the day in the corner reading. The girl had read Curious George, Cat in the Hat, and Clifford the Big Red Dog. She was currently reading When You Give a Mouse a Cookie, when she was interrupted.

"What's your name?" Emily asked. Her voice was soft and hoarse from all the crying she did that day. The girl paused her reading and whipped her head to look at Emily. She smiled brightly when she realized it was Emily who spoke.

"I'm Alison." She said. Emily nodded as if she was had already guessed so.

"My name is Emily." She said back. The stayed silent for a moment as they studied each other. Finally, Emily said, "You're really smart."

Alison blushed and smiled.

At the end of the day, Alison and Emily sat on the class carpet facing each other. Alison sat their silently holding Emily's hand, while they waited for their mommies. Emily used the fingers of her free hand to trace figures onto the back of Alison's. Occasionally, Alison would say something, and Emily would respond physically with a smile or nod. Emily didn't really speak, but Alison didn't need her to. Emily preferred to talk when she was sure that only Alison was listening.

"Emmy?" Pam called from the entrance. Emily's attention snapped from Alison's hand to the door. She was up and across the room in her mother's arms in a flash. Pam crouched down to meet her. "Hi baby. Are you okay? Tell me everything." Emily told her all about her day, which revolved completely around Alison. Pam listened, Emily had her undivided attention. "Well why don't you go get your stuff, and we'll go get ice cream on the way home." She thought that would make Emily smile, but she frowned.

"I can't go yet momma. Alison's mommy isn't here yet." She said. That pulled both of their gazes to the little blonde girl that sat on the carpet carefully watching them.

"It's okay Em." She said. "You can go." Though the look on Emily's face told Pam that no, they could not go.

"Alright, why don't you go sit with your friend while I speak with your teacher." Pam kissed Emily's cheek and moved towards Ms. Parker's desk. Emily went and sat back down with Alison. She held her hand out without a word, and Alison smiled and re-intertwined their fingers.

After Alison's mom arrived, both she and Pam exchanged number to set up play dates over the weekend. Both mothers could see how joined their daughters were.

"Mommy." Emily called out from the backseat. Pam looked at her from the rearview mirror, before she looked back at the road.

"Yes, baby?" Pam responded.

"I'm gonna marry Alison one day." She stated, though she said it as if it were a fact. Pam opened her mouth to correct her, but one glance in the rearview mirror told her not too. Emily's arms were crossed and her eyebrows furrowed in determination. Emily was dead set on it, so there was no point in arguing with her. Anyway, what did a 5-year-old know?

 _Age 7_ – Hands I Can Hold by Ziggy Alberts

Alison's birthday was in the spring, and she demanded her birthday party be held at the skating rink. Her favorite thing to do was go skating with Emily. She loved skating with Emily's hand in hers. Her whole class was there and were running/skating wild all over the place. It was okay since Kenneth DiLaurentis rented out the rink for 3 hours.

Alison and Emily found the second grade to be very difficult. They did not share the same teacher this year as they had the previous two years. Alison had raged and cried to both the teachers and parents to no avail. They kept saying that the classes were final. Emily tried to comfort Alison by promising to wait by the girls' bathroom every day for recess. Alison in return promised to let everyone cut in front of her in the lunch line until Emily got there, since Alison's class was always released first.

In return for Alison's compliance, Pam and Jessica promise sleepovers every weekend. They traded off houses every week. Emily had two drawers in Alison's dresser, and Alison had a nice sized space in Emily's closet for her things. The longest they had ever been apart, was for the week Alison spent with her grandmother last summer. They were supposed to stay for two weeks, but Alison's temperament without Emily shortened the trip. So, now Emily went with Alison whenever she visited her grandmother, and Alison went with Emily to visit her dad on which ever base he was stationed.

Alison's seventh birthday party was originally going to be held at Chuck E Cheese, but Emily made a comment of how she feared the large mouse and liked the skate rink more. Needless to say, birthday plans were changed immediately.

Now, here they were, at skate land. They had been skating around for an hour now. Alison with her four-wheel skates, and Emily in her rollerblades. This was the first time her mom let her use rollerblades instead of regular skates. She had brought her pair from home and had been training to become proficient with them for a month now. Alison would let Emily hold onto her, as they moved up and down the sidewalk outside of Emily's house. Alison decided that she was fine with her four-wheel skates.

Emily was a really good skater, she could even fast skate with the big kids. Not today though. Today she would go slow paced, so that she could hold hands and talk with Alison. Sometimes she would pick up speed and glide in between the other skaters. When she did that, Alison would simply clutch Emily's hand tighter, and let Emily pull her through the crowd. They were skating at a slow pace when, out of nowhere, someone barrels into Emily and sends her flying into the concrete wall. In the process Emily let go of Alison's hand, so she didn't go down with her.

"Oh my- I'm so sorry." Alison's eyes snapped to the assailant. Her eyes were burning with rage, like fire in its purest form. It was that idiot Eric Kahn. He and Jason had been tossing a football back and forth while skating. The ball had been tossed off course and Eric had went racing to catch it. He caught it, and in his ignorant victory did not stop before crashing into Emily.

Alison was ready to rip him a new one, when Emily's wail pierced the air. Alison looked back at Emily and her veins ran cold. There was so much blood. In a second Alison was by her side.

"Daddy!" Alison screamed. As if on command he was suddenly there beside her. He hoisted Emily up into his arms and made his way off the floor. Alison turned to follow him, but not before kicking Eric Kahn in the shin with her skate and pushing him down. She followed after her father to where Pam and Jessica were waiting. She had never heard Emily cry like this. It made her want to cry too.

She watched as her mom and Pam examined Emily. Both her lip and head were bleeding profusely. Alison did start crying when Kenneth said, "We need to take her to the hospital." The hospital was meant for people who were dying. Jessica tried to get Alison to stay with the other party guests, and open presents, but then Emily sobbed Alison's name and Jessica said no more. Besides, if Emily was dying, Alison needed to be by her side. So, she climbed into the back seat of her daddy's car and crawled into the middle seat next to Pam who held Emily. Emily held a paper towel to her lip, while Pam held one to her head. Emily's other hand reached out to grasp Alison's. They cried together all the way to the ER. She was upset when doctors made her wait in the waiting room with her daddy while they took Emily back.

"Daddy is Emily gonna die?" asked Alison. Her voice was shaky. Emily couldn't die, she was meant to be with Alison.

Kenneth chuckled. "No sweetie, what makes you think that?"

"When people go to the hospital they die." She stated. "That's what happened to Jacqueline Thomas's mommy." Mary Thomas spent two months in the hospital before she was lost to cancer.

Kenneth laid a kiss on the top of her hair. It was tied up in her favorite blue ribbon. (Emily's favorite blue ribbon). "She's going to be fine. We brought her here, so the doctor could fix her." He said comfortingly. "She gonna be here for a few hours, then she can go home. I promise." Alison nodded. Kenneth DiLaurentis had never broken a promise to his daughter.

An hour later a nurse with dark skin and a kind smile came out to the waiting room and walked up to them. "You must be Alison." She watched the nurse skeptically but nodded. "Your friend has been talking about you non-stop." Alison's mood brightened immediately.

"Emily's okay?" Her excitement was contagious. Both the nurse and Kenneth laughed.

"She's just fine." The nurse confirmed. "Would you like to see her?" Alison was up and off her daddy's lap without a second thought. The nurse led them to a room with multiple patients. The only thing separating them was a blue curtain that could be pulled all the way around. Some of them were closed, while others were not. The nurse stopped in front of one of the open ones.

Emily laid in the bed licking a blue lollipop. Pam sat in the chair beside her bed. "Emily!" Emily's eyes brightened. Alison tried to climb up on the bed, but it was too high. She felt her daddy's hands lift her up and set her on the foot of the bed. She crawled closer to Emily to inspect her. Her left temple had a bandage on it, and her bottom lip looked weird. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, look." Emily lifted her bottom lip to show where the doctor put stiches. Alison looked as Emily bid he but decided she didn't like them.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Not right now, but it will later." Alison did not like the sound of that.

"But look," Emily lifted her top lip. "My tooth fell out." After she was sure Alison saw it, she let her lip fall back in place. "The tooth fairy is gonna visit me tonight." Alison wasn't sure if she believed in the tooth fairy, but if that meant she got money for every tooth that fell out, then she wasn't gonna say anything. Plus, Emily did believe, and she was very excited.

Alison sighed in sadness again. "I'm sorry my brother and his friend are such idiots." She could vaguely hear her father reprimand her, but she didn't care.

"It's okay Ali. It doesn't hurt so bad. And did you see how good I was on the rollerblades?" said Emily. It actually hurt a whole lot, but she wasn't going to tell Alison that. She could see Alison was already sad enough. "I got you a sucker too." She said holding up the wrapped candy. "It's strawberry. Your favorite."

That did make Alison smile. She quickly unwrapped it and put it in her mouth. Emily could only lick her since the stiches in her lip and her missing front tooth made her mouth feel weird. That sat silently in each other's presence, eating their candy.

"Hey, Ali?" Emily called out. Alison's eyes locked with Emily's to show Emily had her attention. "Would you still marry me even if my tooth never grows back?" She asked apprehensively.

Kenneth's eyebrows shot up in surprise and looked at Pam. She just shrugged. "Well that's a stupid question." Alison stated. "Of course I would." She said with the most certainty. Emily sighed in relief and relaxed against the pillows behind her. Alison saw this and grabbed her hand again.

 _Age 9_ – Pull Me Down by Mikky Ekko

Anyone who knew Emily and Alison knew that Emily was the calm one. She rarely talked back or did anything that was against the rules. Teachers sang her praises constantly. Alison on the other hand, never failed to have a retort ready, and always broke the rules. She just never seemed to get caught. She was a handful for all teachers. The school learned after the second grade, to never put her in a class separate from Emily. Emily was the angel on her shoulder, without Emily, she was all devil. That didn't mean Emily wasn't beside her, taking part in all of Alison's devilish antics when the Alison refused to back down.

Which is why it puzzled both her teacher and principal when Emily was the one who started a fist fight today with Johnathan Murphy. Emily refused to speak and tell anyone what happened. She sat in the principal's office waiting for her mom to show up. Jonathan sat one chair over. He held a Kleenex to his nose. He had already bleed through three of them, which satisfied Emily greatly.

Alison was there, of course. She sat in the chair in between the two students. She looked the definition of grace and decorum. She sat up straight, legs crossed, and hands folded neatly on her lap. She looked forward, her blue eyes never wavering from the principal. They waited silently for Emily's mom to show up. Jonathans father was already there. His face went beet red when he saw his son's face.

Emily didn't budge when the door behind her opened, and a familiar voice filled the room. Crap. She forgot her dad was here. He just returned the day before, and yet, her stance did not change. Her arms were crossed, and her glare fixed on the carpet.

"What's going on?" Wayne asked. "Emmy?" He touched her shoulder. She didn't respond. Wayne greeted the principal with a hand shake before moving to stand behind Emily's chair. He glanced around the room, taking note of the little boy with a possibly broken nose, and who he assumed to be his father.

"Mr. Fields," the principal started, "Emily was involved in an altercation today. As you know we have a zero-tolerance policy for violence or bullying." He took a deep breath. "Another student saw Emily punch Jonathan. Now as Emily was the only one to result to violence, I am forced to suspend her from school for three days."

Alison's eyes narrowed, but Wayne cut in. "Now hold on, my daughter doesn't go around hitting people for no reason. She has never been in any kind of trouble since starting school." Wayne reasoned. "So, what I want to know is the full story." He turned to his daughter. "Em, what happened?" He asked.

Before he could answer Jonathan cut in. "I was playing with Alison, and Emily got jealous. She wanted me to leave, so she could play with Alison alone, and got mad when I didn't." Emily turned her glare from the carpet to the boy. "That's when she hit me."

The principal turned to Emily. "Is that what happened?" He asked her. Now Mr. Murphy cut in.

"Of course, it is. My son wouldn't lie!" He exclaimed. "Look at his face!" The boy's left eye was rapidly turning black, his top lip was busted, and his nose was still bleeding.

"Well he must be. Emily isn't violent. She doesn't go around punching other kids for no reason." Wayne said. He stood in a calm stance, and crossed his arms. His arm muscles were bulging since he wore a plain black t-shirt.

"Please Mr. Murphy, Mr. Fields- ", the principal was abruptly cut off.

"It's Colonel Fields." Wayne corrected. Mr. Murphy discretely shrank back, but quickly shook off the intimidation he felt.

The principal nodded his head. "Colonel," he started. "I would like to hear Emily's side of the story." They all turned and looked at her.

When Emily didn't say anything, Alison answered for her. "John asked me to be his girlfriend today and I told him no in front of all his friends." Although, she didn't exactly say no in the nicest way. She made sure to include that she didn't like his large ears, and that this was his second time in the fourth grade. "He got upset. When I tried to walk away, he grabbed my arm and forced me to kiss him." Alison explained. Jonathan's eyes widened, and he chanced a look at his father. "That's when Emily came. She pushed him away from me and told him to apologize. He didn't. I almost had Emily away when he called me a bad name." She turned her gaze to Jonathan. "That's when she hit him."

"What did he call you Al?" Wayne asked her. Wayne was the only person in the world allowed to call her Al.

"The one that rhymes with witch." She said. Wayne turned his fierce gaze on Jonathan. Mr. Murphy's eyes widened at his son, and the principal looked at Johnathan with disappointment. With everyone's gaze focused on Jonathan's impression of a gaping fish, no one noticed Emily raise her brow at Alison, who just shrugged in return.

"No, I didn't! She's lying!" John shouted. "I never used that word!" In truth, Emily hit him right after he refused to apologize. She never tried to walk away, and honestly, he would look a lot worse if he had used that word with her Alison.

Alison simply showed the bruise that was forming on her forearm, and the case was closed. "My daddy told me that no one was allowed to touch me without my permission." She paused. "He didn't have my permission."

"Emily, is that what happened?" asked Principal Fuller. Emily nodded her head in affirmation. He nodded. "Then Johnathan will receive a five-day suspension." Mr. Murphy started to protest. "This is his third offense of bullying this year." He pointed out. Mr. Murphy did not say anything. "Emily, seeing as you were still the one to use violence your suspension will stand." This time Wayne went to protest. Mr. Fuller quickly interjected. "Two days instead of three for use of violence. Both are effective immediately."

The Murphy's quickly left the room, Mr. Murphy dragging his son by the arm. Emily's posture relaxed after they left. Wayne moved to leave and was planning to sign Alison out as well. It was the Fields' week to pick the girls up from school anyway. Principal Fuller stopped him.

"Colonel Fields." He called. Wayne turned back to look at him. "I have three little girls." He stated. "Emily's record is perfect, so I see no reason to add this incident to it. If you would just keep Emily at home tomorrow. We will see her again on Monday." He said. Wayne chuckled and nodded his head. "I assume Ms. DiLaurentis will also be missing tomorrow." He stated.

Wayne looked down at them. Each girl holding one of his hands. "More than likely." He admitted.

Fuller figured. "See you both on Monday." He dismissed them.

On the car ride home Emily sat by the door behind the passenger's seat. Alison had sat in the middle to be closer to her. He watched them talk in whispers. He couldn't make out much of their conversation but he did hear one thing.

".. and plus, I'm the only one allowed to kiss you anyway." Emily said with a pout. Alison giggled and placed a kiss on Emily's cheek. Emily practically melted in her seat, her signature shy smile taking the place of her pout. Wayne made a U-turn at the next stop light and drove straight to the ice-cream parlor.

 _Age 11_ – When You Love Someone by James TW

Things had been dwindling in the DiLaurentis house for years now, but the camel's back broke when the Hastings moved in next door last year. Alison hated being at home and spent most of her time at Emily's. Tonight, her mom had made her return home. Alison didn't know what for. There wasn't any sleeping when Kenneth and Jessica argued. Their words were muffled from Alison's room, but the harsh and angry tones spoke volumes.

They didn't always argue. They couldn't argue if Jessica was too drunk to comprehend the English vocabulary. There was no arguing when Kenneth extended his already lengthy business trips. There were no actual conversations between the DiLaurentis. There were pleasantries traded, and a quick bye, when someone left the house.

Her parents thought they were being discreet, but Alison had always been very observant. She noticed that the laundry never had any of her father's clothes in it. She noticed when her mother went to bed, her father never followed. She knew that her dad frequently slept at the "office". In the mornings when she went downstairs, her father never wore his scruffy morning look that she had been accustomed to since birth. He instead was dressed to perfection, as if he had been awake and ready for hours. The word "whore" was something her mother used often, when she was talking with Kenneth. Even when she used it in hushed tones. When her father was really mad, she would hear the word "bastard" thrown around.

Alison got up from her bed and tip toed down the across the hallway. She debated on whether she should knock or not. Jason was 14 now, and all about privacy. Softly she pushed his door open and stood at the entrance waiting for him to acknowledge her. He simply lifted the blankets up on one side of the bed. Alison quickly shut the door and jumped into the bed. She wasted no time cuddling into her brother's side. Jason tucked the comforter around his sister and pulled her closer to his side. They laid together listening to the harsh and quiet tones of their parents' argument.

"They're getting a divorce, aren't they?" Alison whispered into the darkness of the Jason's room.

"Yeah," he answered after a moment. "I think so." His hand rubbed her shoulder in comfort.

"I don't think that's such a bad thing anymore." She confessed. Jason didn't say anything. He kissed her forehead and snuggled deeper into his sheets. He didn't have to say anything. Alison knew he agreed.

One week later, Alison and Emily sat on the porch swing. She had Emily's hand in one and her report card in the other. It was March and the report cards had just been released this past week. She had received all A's and was very proud. This was her first time getting all straight A's. Math was her worst subject, and she usually received a B. Not this time.

She made a deal with her dad. If she got all A's in school, he would take her and Emily to the state zoo. They had only been there once before. The zoo was also an amusement park, but they were too small for most of the rides last time. Emily was three inches taller and Alison only grew two, but Alison was sure she was big enough this year.

So, they spent the day waiting. It was already three o'clock, and the zoo was a two and half hour ride away. Emily figured at noon when Kenneth didn't show that they were not going. She wasn't going to say anything though, if Alison wasn't. She just sat by her side waiting patiently. Alison had her eyes fixed on the road her dad's car usually drove in on.

Jessica came out of the house again. Emily caught her gaze and smiled half-heartedly. Alison didn't tear her eyes from the road. Jessica sighed and brushed Alison's hair with her fingers.

"He's not coming sweetie." She said stated softly.

Alison took a deep breath. "He promised." She said. Emily squeezed her hand tighter. Alison made no move to go inside. Jessica sighed and just nodded her head before returning into the house.

Alison and Emily fell asleep on the porch that night with Alison still gripping her report card. Jessica sighed as she walked out the door. She woke them both and directed them up to Alison's bed. Jessica left the room with the report card in hand after having the girls change into their pajamas. Emily didn't go back to sleep immediately. She stayed awake, her concerned eyes never left Alison. She stroked her hair and wiped at her tear stained face. After that day, Alison learned that words meant absolutely nothing.

"Don't worry Ali, I'll never leave you." Emily whispered to a half-asleep Alison.

Correction. Words meant nothing unless they came from Emily. Then they meant everything.

 _Age 12_ – Sorrowing Man by City and Colour

Life is in no way fair. Alison's dad had moved out officially. Six months after that, Alison and Jason discovered they were to have a new sibling. With the new sibling came less of Kenneth. At first, he would try to come around once a week, but the arguments between him and Jessica lowered that to once a month. After his girlfriend became pregnant, it became none at all. Not that Jason or Alison were receptive to his presence anyway. Then he called to tell them they had a new sister. The news broke Alison's heart, and she hung up the phone before he could crush it anymore.

This new little girl would have the father that was promised to Alison. She was supposed to be the princess of her father's world. Now she was replaced, by the daughter of a woman whom stole her father away. Alison couldn't help the resentment she felt against her mother. Jessica had stopped drinking as much but was completely withdrawn from her family. Maybe, that was why Kenneth left. He was probably tired of pretending he had the perfect family.

Alison hadn't noticed anything off with her family, until the first time she met Wayne. She didn't realize that parents talked more than a few sentences to each other. She didn't know that they were supposed to look at each other with love and respect, instead of loathing and ice. She thought it was weird Emily's parents said, "I love you" to one another. They used sweet pet names sometimes and would laugh at how absurd some of them were. They were physically affectionate too, more than just the smiles from across the room. Wayne was always laying kiss on Pam; her hair, her lips, her cheeks, her hands, her neck. Any place that was available. They were always sweet and short, as if he was reassuring himself that she was still there. Emily and Alison would make noises in disgust and pretend to be annoyed. Wayne would only kiss Pam more, making all three girls laugh.

Alison's parents never stayed in the same room for more than a few minutes. When Alison was younger they could hide it a bit better, but now that she was older, she understood. Her dad would focus on Alison if her mom was in the same room. He would pretend to be engrossed in a conversation with her, so that he wouldn't have to acknowledge Jessica. Jessica would crinkle her nose whenever Kenneth entered a room and would hide it with a smile when either of her children glanced her way.

They stopped trying completely when the Hastings moved in next door. Then Alison understood. Her parents were only ever in a marriage of convenience. They didn't love each other, and probably never did. If they had, Jason wouldn't have ever been born. Her parents didn't know she knew about Jason's parentage.

She was looking for paper clips one day and Jason's birth certificate had been left on the desk. She barely glanced at it at first, but the familiar Hastings name stood out. Spencer's name was all over the school, since she was running for Class President of Rosewood Middle School. She didn't even mean to take notice of the name, but it jumped out at her. At a closer look she realized there were also adoption papers next to the certificate.

"Alison?" Jason called to her from the door of the office. She jumped in surprise and snapped up to look at him. Alison wanted to hide the papers as he walked closer, but she couldn't move.

"I needed paper clips." She told him. He glanced at the papers on the desk, and looked back at her. Without saying a word, he simply but them into the bottom drawer where they belonged, and locked it. He placed the key back in his mother's hiding spot. He wasn't the least bit surprised by what the documents were. He grabbed the box of paper clips from there place, in the opposite bottom drawer, and silently handed them to her. She didn't make any move to take them. She simply stared up at her brother. His gaze didn't waiver. He offered her a sad smile and was taken aback by Alison throwing her arms around his waist. Jason tensed for a moment. His heart burned in his chest, and he breathed deeply to resettle himself. He brought his arms around his baby sister and rested his chin on top of her head.

Alison didn't tell Emily about what she found. That was the first thing she kept from Emily.

 _Age 13_ – Nothing by Lewis Watson

Emily was having the year of her life, before she too discovered how unfair life was. She still spent most of her time with Alison, but swimming had also become a big part of her life. She loved it. She had started swimming in elementary, but she hadn't started swimming competitively until the sixth grade. Sixth graders were mostly for reserve, but Emily was a natural. Emily spent the summer before seventh year training. She wanted to be anchor every race. Emily wanted someone else to be her reserve, not the other way around.

Alison hated it. Emily knew that Alison was happy for her and would support her when it came to swimming. She just hated the training part. She had tried exercising with Emily for twenty minutes before deciding she would never do it again. She didn't understand how exercise was enjoyable to Emily. So, Emily would get up early (she knew better than to wake Alison ever) and go for a run. Then, they would take their bike down to the YMCA, and Emily would work on her technique, and do various exercises in the pool.

Alison had to admit, she liked the effects swimming had on Emily's body. They had both taken notice of the other's body. Emily noticed when Alison's ass seemed to protrude a bit more, and a woman's chest had taken place on her body. Alison's body transformation was no doubt brought on by her first period. They were eleven when it happened. Alison was at Emily's when the cramps started. She was startled when she felt the first blood start. Thank God for Pam. Unfortunately, it also brought forth the conversation about sex. Pam who had become accustomed to Emily's declaration of marriage to Alison, also researched same sex topics. Alison and Emily blushed anytime they looked at Pam for a month. Emily was scared when she started hers a year later. She never wanted to have that conversation again.

Emily who was a whole head taller than Alison, and much lankier, hadn't started growing breast until a year after. Noel often teased her for her boyish figure, until Alison heard him one day. Emily doesn't know what Alison said to him, but he never made that joke again. Alison appreciated Emily's body very much, especially the abs that were forming. She had lost all her baby fat in the seventh grade. Her jaw was sharp, her skin was a perfect bronze, and her arms had started to pack on muscle.

At the end of the eighth grade, Emily was one of the most sought-after girls in the school, and Alison too of course. Emily was asked out often, which made her blush and stutter out a decline. Anyone who asked her out went on Alison's special shit list. It took her no longer than a week to dig up dirt on someone and blast it all around the school. Guys stopped asking Alison out when they learned how well she could pick a person apart and make them feel less than human.

Noel was there to laugh at every guy's misfortune. He had been in the same classes as Emily and Alison since kindergarten. He and Emily had struck up an odd friendship even though Alison couldn't stand him. He had snuck into Emily's good graces after the Murphy incident. Murphy tried spreading rumors about the two girls, and Noel put an abrupt stop to that. No one ever messed with Noel Kahn. Everyone knew who his big brother was. He would often meet up with Emily to work out, since he was on most of the sports team in Junior High. He and Alison had eventually come to an understanding. Noel understood Alison was always to be Emily's first priority, and he could never do anything to get in the way of that. And she wouldn't try to break up their friendship or tear apart his social status. They had formed an acquaintanceship through Emily, (friendship really, though they would never call it that).

So, he traded his time in between Emily (and Alison) and his teammates, who were other idiotic boys his age. He would be his usual arrogant and obnoxious self at school and in front of his teammates, but when it was just him, Emily, and Alison he was different. He was actually really smart, and kind when no one was watching. He was calmer and less obnoxious. Alison knew he only acted like a complete ass because that what people expected of him. He was Eric Kahn's brother after all. Plus, his dad was an even bigger dick than hers.

Sometimes Noel would just show up at Emily's house for dinner unannounced. Pam would simply set an extra plate at the table. Alison would insult him and sneer his way. Noel would just smirk at her. Her bark stopped having a bite after she saw the bruises on his torso. With all the insults they throw at each other, they both knew home the life topic that was completely off limits. They both came from broken homes and had a sense of companionship that held them together, and Emily of course. They didn't tell Emily about Noel's dad. She was too empathetic, she would take on his pain too if they let her, and she already carried Alison's.

Not that Emily was all rainbows and sunshine all time either. She had her own war with her dad. She had tried to be supportive of her father, and his line of work. But she had grown tired of having to smile every time he left home, and pretend it didn't bother her, to have her father gone for months at a time. She was tired of having to silently cry in Alison's arms, so her mother didn't hear her. She felt guilty for being upset with him, and she was angry with him for making he feel guilty. Her anger was different from Alison's. Alison was upset with her dad for breaking promises, but Emily knew better than to ever accept any promises from her father. She knew it hurt him to break them, so she stopped asking for them.

Her father missed out on so much because he loved his job more than his family. Emily knew it was unfair to think that, but it was also unfair that she could only have a part time father. She hated that she had these thought, but she couldn't help it. Alison was the only one she told, but she stopped complaining when Kenneth walked out. Wayne may be gone a lot of the time, but he would never actually _leave_ her. Emily had been wishing for years that she wouldn't have to keep saying 'bye' to her dad. She had never regretted a wish so much in her life. She could survive missing her father. Emily didn't know how she was going to survive missing Alison.

"You can't do this!" Emily cried to her parents. They had been arguing for hours now, but Emily still couldn't comprehend why.

"This will be good for our family Em. I know that I've been absent for a lot of important things in your life, but I don't want to miss anymore." Wayne reasoned. "The Texas base is more permanent. That means I won't be moving place to place. It will be a good and stable place for our family."

"I feel good and stable here!" Emily shouted. "I don't need Texas. I'm fine here." She didn't want to leave.

"I know things will be different at first, but there's a high school right next to the base, and they have a really good swim team." Pam said.

"There's also a high school right down the street here, with a state qualifying team." Emily retorted.

"Look Emmy this is a good opportunity for our family. We'd be together every day throughout the year." Wayne said. "I wouldn't be going anywhere for months at a time, and I'd be at every swim meet, and home for dinner every night. Isn't that what you want?" Wayne looked at Emily with pleading eyes.

"That's not what I want." Her father's face fell in rejection. "What I want is to stay here. I used to want that, but you wanted to be in the army. Which is fine, but don't make this about me." Emily growled. "This is what you want. You've always picked work over me."

"That's not true Emily." Wayne interjected.

"Yes, it is." Stated Emily. "You've always put your work first, and now that your work is _allowing_ you to have your family, we're supposed to just drop everything and follow you?" Emily questioned.

"Emily!" Pam shouted. Emily scoffed at her parents. Before they could say anything else, she was out of the kitchen chair and headed for the door. She could hear her parents calling after her. Emily quickly ran out the door and grabbed the bike she left in the front yard. She peddled away as fast as she could. She tuned out the sound of her father shouts.

"I'll grab the car and go after her." Wayne said heading to the driver's side of his wife's car.

"No." Pam said. Wayne turned and looked at her. "She's not going to talk to us right now. Let Alison temper her, and then we'll try."

Emily watched Alison's door swing open. Her smile shifted from happy to worry at the sight of Emily. In the presence of her girl, all of Emily's anger had drained out, only to be replaced with sorrow. Emily drank in the sight of Alison as if she was trying to commit every feature to memory.

"What happened?" asked Alison. Emily didn't answer. Instead, she wrapped her arm around Alison and buried her face into Alison's neck. Alison hugged her back without hesitation. They stood in front of the open doorway in silence. While standing there with her arms around Alison's waist, Emily came to the sudden realization, that she wasn't going to be able to do this much longer. She let Alison's scent surround her and squeezed tighter, letting her tears fall.

When Alison finally gets Emily upstairs to her room, they fall into bed not speaking, just cuddling into each other. Emily has her arms wrapped tightly around Alison. Alison lays with her head on Emily's chest, practically on top of her because of how tightly the swimmer holds Alison. Eventually, Emily lets her lips start moving, informing Alison of the conversation she had with her parents. Then it's Alison's turn to rage.

Emily watches as Alison paces the room ranting and raving. Alison tries to throw out ideas of how they may be able to stay together. Emily never responds. She just watches Alison with sad eyes. When Alison finally stops, she turns to Emily with tears welled in her eyes. Emily is up in a second, wrapping her arms back around Alison. She stands there with Alison's face buried in her chest. She sways back and forth trying to comfort her.

Alison breaks away just enough for her to look up at Emily. Emily keeps one arm around her waist and uses her other hand to brush away Alison's tears. She can see Alison's eyes clearly now. She doesn't like the pain and turmoil that she sees in them, but they are still the most beautiful eyes that Emily has ever seen.

Emily cups Alison's cheek, and guides her forward to capture her lips with her own in a soft kiss. Alison wastes no time kissing her back. Emily moves to pull away but is stopped by Alison's hand at the base of her neck. She wasn't ready to let go yet so, Emily stays. Emily brings her other hand up to cup Alison's other cheek, forcing Alison's hands to drop to her waist.

Emily parts their lips for a quick second to look Alison in the eyes. With only her eyes she tried to convey everything she was feeling. Her sadness and grief, but also her love and adoration for Alison. She tilted her head at the same time as Alison and kissed her again. This one was more desperate than the last. Her lips were more urgent and rough. She brought Alison's lower lip in between hers, only to release it and recapture it again.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. This was far from their first kiss, but it was certainly different. Emily could feel Alison moving them, and she followed her, refusing to break their kiss. She brought her hand to Alison's hip, and softly dug her nails into the bottom of the shirt, that was threatening to reveal what lay underneath. An object stopped them from moving any further, and Emily felt Alison falling from her grasp.

She opened her eyes in time to see Alison plop down on to the bed, with her hands still resting on Emily's hips. Alison was a beautiful sight. Her cheeks were lightly flushed, and her chest rose and fell, in time with her rapid breathing. But it was always her eyes that caught Emily's attention. Alison looked up at Emily from under her lashes. Her blue eyes were ablaze and setting fire to Emily in certain places. She had seen flashes of this look in Alison's eyes before, but none were as vibrant as this one.

Emily leaned down to reconnect their lips, and placed her hands on either side of Alison, forcing Alison to lean back further on the bed. Using her lips, Emily guided Alison back until she was resting on the pillows behind her. Emily slowly fell to her forearms, allowing her body to connect with Alison's. Alison adjusted herself to accommodate this new weight, letting Emily's leg slip in between hers.

Alison slid her hands under Emily's shirt, caressing the skin at her lower back. Emily shivered at the touch and shifted her weight to one arm. The swimmer brought one hand to the hem of Alison's shirt, only to discover it had moved up and out of position. She let her fingers brush the bare skin she felt there. The blonde gasped into their kiss. Emily used that moment to try something new. She poked her tongue out and licked Alison's lip. Alison took the hint and allowed her access. It was tentative at first. They let their tongues tangle awkwardly before finally finding a rhythm that fit them best.

As their confidence grew, Emily let her hand slowly slide up Alison's side. She let her fingers dance under the swell of Alison's breast. She wasn't wearing a bra. She pulled back from Alison and gazed down at her, silently asking for permission. Alison nodded her head, and let her eyes fall back to Emily's lips. The brunette watched Alison tongue dart out to lick her lips, and Emily wanted nothing more than to recapture them. Emily's fingers trembled as they reached further up and watched Alison's head fall back as Emily finally cupped her breast in one hand. Alison gasped, as Emily ran her thumb across Alison's hardened nipple.

Emily swooped down again, this time bringing her lips to Alison's neck. Alison head tilted to the side to give her more access. Emily kissed and sucked on any bit of skin she could find and listened to her angel whimper under her. Simultaneously, Emily sucked on the sweet spot at the base of Alison's neck and let her tongue roll over it, as she rolled Alison's nipple in between her forefinger and thumb. Both of their bodies were on fire. Emily's hips involuntary grinded down and pushed her thigh into the sensitive spot between Alison's legs. All at once, a loud moan ripped from Alison's throat, and the front door downstairs opened and slammed shut.

Emily ripped her lips from Alison's pale neck and jerked her hand back from under the shirt to Alison's hip. She felt as Alison's body tensed under hers. They stared into one another's eyes, as they listened to the foreigner move around the house. They froze as the person made their way upstairs. Finally, they heard Jason's room door slam shut, and they sighed in relief.

Emily touched her forehead to Alison's and closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself. Alison watched from beneath her. She waited patiently for Emily to reopen her eyes, and when they did, they stared straight into Alison's. Blue eyes gazed into Emily's calm brown eyes and didn't dare to look away. Emily smiled softly at her.

"Were gonna be okay." Emily whispered.

Alison was confused, until their conversation came to the front of her mind.

"How?" she asked.

Emily chuckled and widened her smile at Alison. "Our separation is only temporary, because one day you'll be my wife. And I'll never be parted from you again."

Alison could live with that.

 _Age 14_ – Apple Juice Jessie Reyez

"This sucks." Alison whined into her new razor flip phone. Emily sighed. They were both well into their freshman year of high school, and Emily had to agree. They had seen each other for a week during winter break, but that wasn't enough for them.

Emily sat up on the edge of her bed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I know babe. Trust me I know." Emily wasn't very happy at her new school. Actually, she hated it. It wasn't like she lived in Dallas, or Houston. It was a small city, surrounded by other small towns, that was all predominately Christian. Now, imagine being gay in a town like that. One of her classmates had seen her out with Alison over the break and decided to tell everyone else in the school. She wasn't bullied like what people saw in movies, but people went out of their way to avoid her. Her teammates would find new ways to cover themselves while changing in the locker room. As if Emily was at all interested in them.

Not everyone was like that of course. Some just rolled their eyes at them, and treated Emily no different. They just didn't go out of their way to befriend Emily either. This was high school. Most of them had known each other for years, and had their cliques established already. Emily's day consisted of waking up, running, going to school, practice, and going home. Then, she would do her homework and wait until 6:30 to call Alison. She was a loner.

Alison was different. She ruled the school. She had her friends Aria, Hanna, and Spencer. Though Spencer was more of a frenemy. Actually, none of them were really her friends. They were just people to help pass the time. She would have sleepovers with them and meet up at the brew. She would say they were friends, but they weren't really. They were more like her collections. She wanted to keep them around, so she made them feel like they needed her. Alison was the only one Aria could talk to about her father's affair. After Alison swore not to tell anyone, but that didn't stop her back handed comments disguised as "jokes". Hanna needed approval. Her mom was busy with work, and her father walked out on them. So, Alison would approve of her choices in clothes, make up, boys, etc., and it would make Hanna happy. Alison would disapprove of things more often, like her food choices. Spencer was the fierce one. Alison acquired Spencer to keep an eye on her. She had the potential to be Alison's biggest enemy. So, Alison kept her in check, with her knowledge of Spencer's transgressions with her sister's boyfriends.

They all knew they needed Alison for one reason or another, but they didn't know that Alison needed them. Aria was artsy and had a weird sense of fashion. Aria was also kind and shy, just like Emily. Hanna was bubbly and blonde, but she was also snarky and sarcastic like Emily is sometimes. She was also a good listener, not that Alison would ever tell her anything important. Spencer was loyal and strong, much like her Emily. Alison had picked each of them for a reason.

"I miss you." Alison whispered into the phone.

"I miss you too." Emily replied. Alison laid on her bed toying with the ring that hung from a chain around her neck. It was a Christmas present from Emily. It was had a white gold band that swirled around a clear blue diamond, with white diamond studded on the band on either side of the main diamond. It was a promise ring.

They sat in silence on the phone, listening to the other breath on the other side. Alison nearly jumped out of her skin, when her door flung open. It was Noel.

Alison glared at him. "Just because Emily isn't here, doesn't mean you can barge into my house like some homeless dog." She growled.

Noel smirked and rolled his eyes. His eyes narrowed at the phone by her ear. "Is that Emily?" he asked.

"No." Alison lied with a straight face. Emily snorted out a laugh.

"Yes, it is." He reached his hand out. "Gimme the phone."

Alison quickly moved away. "No!" She quickly moved out of his reach. Unfortunately, Noel was fast and strong. He gripped her by the waist before she could move too far away and snatched the phone from her hand. Alison tried to kick him, but he quickly dodged it. He put the phone on speaker, and Emily's laugh filled the room.

"Hey Em. You miss me?" Noel greeted her.

Emily scoffed. "The only person I miss is my girlfriend." Emily could only imagine Alison's triumphant face.

"Emily!" Noel exclaimed. "I'm hurt." Emily rolled her eyes.

"Noel tried to kiss me today." Alison said. Emily's blood went up in flames. Her eyes narrowed.

"Oh my gosh. It was at lunch in the quad area, and it was on the cheek." Noel reasoned, but Emily was still silent. "It was a dare, because every other guy in the school knows they would be neutered if they tried." Alison sat on the bed smirking at Noel. "Plus, everyone knows that Alison is off limits. They assume it's because of me, but we know it's really all you."

Noel knew that anything involving Alison was the quickest way to make Emily lose her temper. People thought Alison was scary, but they had never pissed off Emily. "Are you into Alison, Noel?" Emily growled into the receiver of the phone. Logically, she knew he wasn't. But Alison deciding to be with someone else, was Emily's worst fear.

Noel's grin fell from his face. "No, Em. I swear I'm not." He said sincerely. "I'm only looking after her until you can do it yourself. You're my best friend –" Alison made an unintelligible sound. "You're the best friend I have." He corrected. "I would never do that."

Emily sighed and rubbed her fingers across her forehead. "Yeah I know." Emily admitted. "It just hard being away." Noel nodded his head.

"Alright, I just came by to borrow Alison's algebra notes. I'll talk to you soon okay?" He said

"Yeah, I'll call tomorrow. Mom wants to talk to you and see how you're doing anyway." Emily said. They said their good-byes, and Noel handed the phone back over. Then he took Alison's notes without asking.

"I want those back tomorrow morning!" Alison yelled after him. Alison got up and shut her room door before laying back down. She took the phone of speaker and put it up to her ear.

"Emily?" she called. Emily didn't react the way Alison thought she would have. Before she moved, she would always laugh whenever Noel flirted with Alison. She knew there were no real feeling there. "What's going on with you?" Alison asked.

"Nothing, it just really sucks here and you're the only thing I look forward to every day." She explained. "I'm just scared that you're gonna find someone else, and I won't have anything anymore." Alison's jaw clenched and was ready to interject. "I know I'm being ridiculous." Emily said quickly. "It's just your amazing Alison. I know there are plenty of people there who would love to replace me. I'm just scared you'll notice one of them."

"You're being stupid Emily." Alison said. "First of all, you are completely irreplaceable to me. Second, I don't want anyone else. If I did, I wouldn't be wearing your ring." Emily smiled at that. "Third, I honestly can't name one person that even _might_ be able to handle me." Alison said. "I'm a lot to deal with, I know that. Which is why only one special kind of person could ever be with me. I met that person when I was five years old." Emily nodded even though Alison couldn't see her.

"Alison?" Emily called softly.

"Yeah." she answered.

"You're never too much." Emily said. "You've always been just enough."

Alison couldn't help the smile that split her face.

 _Age 15_ Suffocate by J. Holiday

This had been the worst summer Alison had ever had. It was the first summer she had been without Emily. Emily hadn't moved away last year until August. They had plans to spend the summer together, but those had been cancelled when Emily and her parents left for Germany. Mr. Fields was doing some work on a base there and wouldn't return until three weeks before school started back up.

So, it was an understatement to say that Alison was a complete bitch that summer. An overheated Alison, without Emily, was a nightmare. It seemed her tongue had been sharpened to a point, ready to cut down anyone who even glanced in her direction. The only person that could stand to be around her was Noel. And that was only because he had ten years to build up an immunity to Alison's insults. When things got too bad, he would simply dial Emily's number, and let swimmer's words soothe the fiery blonde.

Today was especially bad. Emily hadn't answered her phone all day. Spencer, Hanna, and Aria were all hanging out at Alison's, and it seemed that Alison had something snarky to say, every time someone opened their mouth to speak. Noel was there too, but the girls noticed he didn't seem phased by anything Alison said. For someone who didn't like Noel, Alison sure did seem to be around him a lot.

Which was why Aria would cast a worried glance in Alison's direction, every time Noel said anything mildly flirty to her. Everyone at Rosewood High assumed, that Noel and Alison had an on and off again relationship. When asked about it, Alison would only roll her eyes. Noel seemed to benefit from the rumors. All the girls wanted whatever Alison had, and if she had Noel, then they wanted him. Noel had always flirted with random girls in front of Alison, and most of them thought that he was trying to make her jealous. But the first time Noel flirted with Aria in front of Alison, Aria had nearly peed her pants.

"Noel!" Alison shouted. "Go home! I didn't invite you." They were all lounging around the DiLaurentis' living room. Aria sat on the floor in front of the recliner. Spencer sat cross legged on the couch, with Hanna's feet in her lap. Alison sat away from them on the love seat glaring at Noel, who had just plopped down on the floor next to Aria.

"I'm not here for you Alison." Noel stated. Aria froze. Another argument was about to start up, when the door flew open. Jason walked in carrying a large suitcase and a duffle bag. He was out of breath and obviously struggling a bit. He set down the suitcase and let the duffle bag fall to the floor by the door. He scanned the room and locked eyes with Alison. He shot her a small smile.

"You're welcome." He stated, before picking the suitcase back up, and climbing the stairs. Alison looked at him in confusion, before taking notice of someone else walking through the door. Emily stood there in all her tanned glory. She was wearing blue soccer sweats and a loose black athletic tank top, with a matching blue sports bra underneath, finished off with her blue and white running shoes. Alison watched wide eyed as Emily closed the door behind her and set down her backpack by the door.

Emily's eyes were immediately drawn to Alison, and a large grin split her face. Alison was out of her seat and across the room in the blink of an eye. Emily braced herself and had to take a step back for balance when Alison slammed into her arms. Emily wrapped her hands around Alison's waist and buried her face into the blonde tresses. She could feel Alison's face pressed against her neck, with her arms wrapped around Emily's shoulders.

The other female occupants in the room had never seen Alison affectionate with anyone before. She was always poised and calculating. They had never actually seen her smile before either. Not a real smile at least. They had always seen the same one. It was perfectly charming and had been rehearsed many times. It was the only smile used for the public. But she was full on glowing now. Not that anyone else could see it with her face buried in Emily's neck.

Emily's eye caught Jason moving up the stairs with her suitcase. "Thanks Jay!" Emily called out behind him. He grunted in response.

"Do you mind if I say hello?" Noel asked sarcastically behind Alison. Emily grinned at him. "I did say I wasn't here for you." He said. Emily whispered something in Alison's ear, and the blonde pulled away. She turned to Noel without letting go of Emily.

"You knew she was coming?" she asked stunned.

Noel smirked. "My job was to make sure you were here when they got back from the airport." Emily softly moved away from Alison to make herself available to Noel.

"Thanks Noel." Said Emily as Noel wrapped her up in a big hug. As soon as he let go, Emily found her arms full of Alison again. Emily's hands went to the blonde's waist and pulled her in closer. Alison brought her hand to the back of Emily's neck, to pull her in for a kiss. Emily was happy to oblige. When Alison tried to pull away, Emily chased her and gripped her hips a little tighter. Alison laughed in their kiss but did not try to pull away. Noel rolled his eyes and returned to his spot on the floor.

Emily pulled away from Alison's lips, only to return again a second time. And a third. Then a forth. Finally, she settled for placing kisses all over Alison. She started laying pecks on the blonde's forehead, her cheeks, her lips once more, and then making her way down Alison's neck. She gently bit down on that sweet spot on Ali's neck, near the collarbone. Alison gasped and pushed at Emily's chest, forcing her lips away. Emily just laughed. Emily whispered something to Alison, and the blonde nodded before bringing her in for one more kiss.

They started walking back towards the love seat Alison was first sitting on. The blonde wanted to push Emily down and snuggle up to her, but Emily had other ideas. She stuck her hand out and smiled at Hanna who was gaping at her.

"Hi, I'm Emily and you must be Hanna." Hanna continued to gape but shook her hand. She moved on to Spencer who was staring at Emily suspiciously when she was greeted by name same as Hanna. She moved to Aria last who was still seated on the floor by Noel. "And your Aria." Emily's smiled turned into a smirk. "Noel talks about you all the time."

"I do not." Noel denied glaring at Emily. Emily snorted and returned to Alison's side. Emily plopped down and tugged Alison down with her. With Alison on her lap, the swimmer wrapped her bronze arms around her angel's waist. Alison in return rested her head on Emily's shoulder.

Emily turned her attention back to her love's friends. "Alison has told me a lot about you guys."

"Well she hasn't said anything about you." Spencer Hastings said. She looked skeptical of Emily and this new Alison DiLaurentis. Hanna kicked Spencer and shot a glare her way. Spencer just glared back. "What?" she mouthed at Hanna.

They expected Emily to be upset by this revelation, but Emily just laughed. "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me in the least." She said and laid a kiss to the top of Alison's head.

"So… You're not dating Noel?" Aria asked. Alison snorted, and Noel laughed. Emily tensed a bit but relaxed just a quickly.

"Noel and I aren't even friends." Alison replied. One of Emily hands slid down her waist to rest on her thigh. She unconsciously started to rub the bare skin there. It was a small gesture, but that's all it took to set Alison's body ablaze. She shifted in Emily's lap to gently rub her thighs together without making it noticeable to the other in the room. But judging by Emily's smirk Alison was unsuccessful. "Stop it." Alison hissed in Emily's ear. Emily simply pushed her shorts up and inch more and continued.

"Alison isn't exactly my type. She's too bitchy." Noel looked straight at Alison with a smirk.

Emily's voice ripped through the air. "Watch yourself Noel." She rarely used such a harsh tone with anyone.

Noel's smirk vanished. "Sorry." The silence that followed was awkward.

"So, Emily," Spencer started. "How long have you and Alison been together?"

"It depends, do you want our answer or the adult answer?" Emily asked. Her hand was now resting on Alison's upper thigh under both her shorts and panties. Everyone noticed but said nothing.

"Both." Spencer replied.

"The adult answer is two years, since the first time I truly kissed her." She meant the first kiss that was more than just the innocent pecks that had given each other the years prior. After that they had officially labeled themselves as girlfriends. "Our answer would be ten years, but not many people understand when we say that."

"Ten years?" Hanna asked in shock.

"Since kindergarten." Noel chimed in.

"Really?" Spencer's high brows rose high.

"That's when Emily decided I was going to be her wife." Alison stated.

Later that night after everyone went home, Alison and Emily were snuggled up in Alison's bed. Jason was moving throughout the house. He was leaving for college soon. They were simply laying there. Emily was exhausted from her flights.

"I almost forgot." Emily's soft voice filled the room. "I'm moving back."

Alison sat up so quick she had to catch herself from falling over. Her blue eyes were wide in disbelief.

"Don't joke like that." Alison said.

Emily smiled. "My dad is going to be traveling again, so there's no reason for us to stay in Texas anymore."

Alison smiled brightly down at Emily, and Emily couldn't help but beam in return.

 _Age 17_ Pressure – Jhene Aiko

They were Juniors in high school now. Everything was as it should be. Pam moved back to Rosewood with her daughter and Wayne was still in the army but found himself home more often than not. Emily eventually found out about Noel's abusive home. It was the only time she had shown true anger at Alison. Emily refused to speak to her for a few weeks. Alison had known about it and chose not to say anything to Emily. It took them two weeks to make up. Granted Noel asked her not to say anything, but Alison agreed. When Emily found out Noel had begged Emily not to say anything. Noel was resigned to the fact he would have to deal with his dad until college. Then he could escape like his brother did.

Emily told her dad as soon as Wayne returned home. Noel had felt so betrayed. He spent the whole school day worrying about what his dad would do when he returned home. He didn't expect to see his dad and Wayne sitting in the living room when he returned from school (as late as he possibly could). Wayne had promptly sent Noel up to his room with empty boxes and told him to start packing. They returned to the Fields house late that night. He had been living there since without any fuss of fight from his dad. He knew there was an agreement between the two men. His dad would quietly hand over custody of Noel to Wayne and Pam, and Wayne would not report Mr. Kahn to the authorities. There would be no scandal.

Alison was still ruling the school with an iron fist. The revelation of her relationship with Emily did nothing to loosen her hold on her popularity status. People had gawked the first day of sophomore year when Alison kissed Emily passionately before class. She then proceeded to saunter off with her hips swaying and a smirk. Mona Vanderwaal had dared tried to use Alison's sexuality to tear her down in hierarchy. Mona had recently gone through a complete make over and her confidence had shot through the roof. Still she was too late to claim any status in high school. Alison didn't even blink. She widened her eyes and gave an air of innocence. "I didn't realize you were so homophobic." Those words did serious damage to Mona's reputation.

Granted most kids were bullied for their sexual orientation. But most kids were not Alison DiLaurentis. She didn't rule because people liked her. She ruled because no one was stupid enough to cross her. Apparently Maya St. Germain did not get the memo.

Maya was a new student who moved into the house across the street from Emily. This girl lived on the edge of the rules. She was new in town and did not hold the same amount of fear and respect for Alison as everyone else in Rosewood. Emily thought that she and Maya were just fast friends. Alison knew better. Alison saw the lust filled glances Maya threw at Emily. She saw the way May would find any excuse to touch Emily. And Alison say the blatant disregard Maya had for her. Even Noel had made a comment of how much she seemed to want Emily. Emily laughed it off of course. Alison did not.

Emily was too oblivious. She didn't seem to mind the touches and glances Maya gave her. She simply shrugged it off as Maya being friendly. Emily is not doubt deeply in love with Alison, but Alison wondered if Emily was somewhat attracted to Maya. Alison knew that Emily was blinded by the blonde and it was an utterly ridiculous thought. But she couldn't help but worry. Alison and Emily had been together for so long, maybe Emily wanted to try something different. She tried to push those thoughts away, but every time Maya touched Emily or glanced at her lips the thoughts would rush to the front of her mind. So Alison decided to talk to Emily.

"I want you to stop hanging out with Maya." Alison blurted out. They were in Alison's room doing homework. Emily at the desk and Alison on the bed with her books spread out around her.

"What?" Emily swiveled around in her chair with a look of confusion.

"I want you to stop hanging out with Maya." Alison repeated. Her blue eyes stared into Emily's warm brown ones. She saw the exact moment Emily's mood shifted to upset.

"Why would I do that?" she asked.

"Look," Alison started. This was most definitely not going to go well. Alison knew she had a way of being demanding and letting her temper do the talking. The blonde took a moment and gathered herself. She pushed down her pride, if she didn't her walls would shift up and her words would come out a lot harsher than she meant. Then this would become a battle of wills. Alison took a deep breath willing herself to be more open. "It's making me really uncomfortable the way Maya is towards you. She isn't like Hanna. I know that Hanna only flirts with you because that's who she is. She would never cross that line. But Maya is playing with it, and you're letting her."

Emily sighed in frustration. "What are you talking about? Maya hasn't crossed any lines."

"No, but she wants too." Emily scoffed. "Of course, you don't see it Emily, but all the times she touched you by 'accident'," Alison brought her hands up as quotation marks, "and she's always looking at you like she wants to eat you."

"Oh my God." Emily ran her fingers through her hair. "Maya's not like that, she doesn't want me Alison."

It was Alison's turn to scoff. "Yes, she does, and you have done nothing to set any boundaries with her. You let her flirt and touch you without saying anything."

"Because she doesn't mean anything by it Alison." Their voiced were rising now.

"Bullshit Emily! Then explain the problem she has with me. I know you see the way she backs off when I come around. If she isn't trying anything with you, then why does she do that?" asked Alison.

Emily had noticed but she also knew Alison had a reputation. "She just doesn't know you, and it's not like you've been very receptive of her."

Alison pushed her books to the side and stood up. "Why would I be receptive to someone who wants to fuck my girlfriend?"

Emily stood as well. "You're not receptive to anyone. Everyone knows about your reputation. It's not my fault if she doesn't want to know you." Alison's eyes narrowed.

"I want you to stop seeing her." Alison spoke through clenched teeth.

"No." Emily said forcefully. "You can't tell me who I can and can't be friends with." She then added. "I'm not going to stop being friends with her because you're jealous."

Alison reared her head back in shock and then glared. "Jealous?" She then thought better of it. "You know what. Fuck it. Just get out." She crossed her arms across her chest. Her blue eyes were burning with anger.

"Fine." Emily proceeded to grab her stuff and leave slamming the door behind her.

It was two days later that Maya proved Alison right. Emily and Maya had gotten coffee at the brew and were saying goodbye outside at the entrance. Usually they would have walked home together, but they drove separately, and Maya was not headed home just yet. They were laughing together at some story Emily was telling about her childhood when it happened. Without notice Maya grabbed the front of Emily's jacket and pulled her into a kiss.

It took Emily a total of two seconds to jump back from the kiss like she had been burned. She started to speak when she was caught off.

"Wow Emily." Alison's voice cut through her like a knife. Emily's had snapped in her direction to see the foursome. Not only had Alison seen but so did Spencer and Hanna. Aria was off on a date with some older guy. "I thought you'd at least inform me we were broken up before moving onto something new." Alison hissed. Spencer disappointment showed as well as Hanna's anger.

"Alison," Emily started. "I didn't- "

Alison cut her off. "Yes, you did, because I told you." Alison then spun around and walked off.

Emily chased after her. She grabbed the blonde's arm forcing her to stop. "I swear to you I didn't want her to kiss me."

"You must have, because I warned you. I told you exactly what she wanted, and you ignored me." Alison was willing the tears not to fall. She would not cry in front of any of them. "I told you. I came to you and told you about something that was making me uncomfortable. I told you that she wanted you and that it bothered me that you would want to spend time with someone who blatantly disrespects our relationship. Who disrespects me. You must have wanted this because you did not correct her anytime she touched you or flirted with you. You allowed her to disrespect _us_. So, if your friendship with her means that much to you, then keep it. But understand, you are not keeping me." Alison finished by quickly unclipping the chain around her neck, that held the promise ring Emily had given to her before moving to Texas.

Tears sprung to Emily's eyes and panic ripped through her as Alison removed her necklace. "No –", she started but the jewelry was forced into the palm of her hand as Alison shoved past her. Emily tried to reach for her again, but she was quickly flanked by Hanna and Spence. Hanna being the only one to look back shooting daggers at her. All Emily could do was watch them climb into Spencer's car and leave.

Emily spun on her heels, a surge of anger taking over. Any fondness she had for Maya suddenly left her to be replace by a cruel coldness. She stormed up to the girl. "You are not to contact me again. You will not speak to me, text me, call me, or even look at me again." Emily growled out. She stormed off to her car to go look for Alison.

 _Same Age-_ Runnin' (Lose It All) by Naughty Boy, Beyoncé, Arrow Benjamin

It took three days for Emily to finally get Alison alone. She refused to open the door when Emily insistently banged on the door. All of Emily's phone calls and texts went unanswered. Emily was going insane. Even when they were apart, the girls had never gone this long without talking since they met in kindergarten. At school she was always flanked by one of the girls to be used as buffers between Alison and Emily. Noel, as Emily's brother had taken her side, but made his disappointment known. He had helped set up a trap for Alison, but he promised that was the only help he would offer. He spread the word to the girls in 6th period gym to dress and leave as quickly as possible. Luckily 6th period was the last and smallest group of the day, with only 9 girls in that class period.

Alison didn't find it weird that all the girls had dressed and left so quickly. It was Friday after all. Usually she would be rushing with them, but she had nowhere to rush off too. She had just slipped off her shorts and removed her sports bra when someone came up behind her. She jumped out of her skin at the feeling of lips on the back of her shoulder. She quickly turned around clutching her bra and arms to her chest. She was pulled deep into the brown eyes of Emily.

Alison huffed and averted her eyes. She didn't want to look at Emily. She wanted to be mad. "What do you want?" She hissed through clenched teeth.

Emily's eyes raked over Alison's form. Her body was bare besides her panties and the sports bra that shielded her view of Alison's chest. Alison could feel Emily's eyes all over her. "Is that a rhetorical question?" Emily asked. She brought her hands up to rest on the lockers. She had Alison trapped and leaned in closer. The brunette's torso brushing against Alison's crossed arms.

Alison glared into Emily's soul. "It would have been a week ago." Emily tensed up and Alison knew she hit her mark. Alison moved to push her way out of Emily's grab, but she wasn't getting away that easy. The swimmer gripped the blonde's waist in one hand and used her body to back Alison up against the lockers. The blonde's arms immediately came to Emily's shoulder and a gasp fell from her lips. Though she wasn't sure if it was from the coolness of the lockers, or the feeling of Emily's body pressed against her.

Their eyes bore into the other's. Emotions were high. Anger, Sadness, Betrayal, Anxiety, Love, _Lust_.

"It is still a rhetorical question." Emily said firmly. She moved a bit closer and tilted her head to the side. Alison glanced down at Emily's mouth whose tongue darted out to lick her lips. That move shot straight between Alison's thighs. "I don't want anything else or anyone else. I have never wanted anything other than you Alison. You stole that decision away when I was five years old and I stand by it to this day. There has never been anything on this earth that I want more than you. Except to maybe call you my wife and the mother of my child."

Alison clenched her teeth and will herself not to tear up. "Then what was so important about her. That we had a fight about it. Why did you let her kiss you?" The hurt seeped through her voice which wounded Emily in turn.

"I didn't let her kiss me. I was shocked. I really thought you were seeing things with her." Alison scoffed and tried to move away again. Emily wouldn't budge. "Looking back now I see what you saw and I think that maybe I just didn't want to see it. I am so sorry that I put you in a position that questioned my faithfulness to you, but I promise I have never wanted her in that way."

"Then why Emily?" Alison pleaded to know.

Emily sucked in a breath and opened her mouth to speak a few times. The words seemed to keep getting caught in her throat. "It's stupid."

"Stupid or not I want you to tell me." Alison demanded. Emily looked away and a faint blush colored her cheeks.

"She was different." Emily finally said. "She was like me." Alison's look of confusion let her know that she wasn't being understood. Emily took a deep breath. "I know that you love me and that you're attracted to me. But I know you don't really like other girls. Like with Hanna or Aria, you like talking about boys with them and stuff. And you make comments sometimes about guys with them, but I don't. I don't feel like that about any guy. I never have." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Maya was like me. It was just nice having someone around that felt the same way I do."

"Then why didn't you tell me that?" Alison cupped Emily's face.

Emily shrugged. "Like I said it's stupid. I just never actually met anyone else who was…" she trailed off.

"Gay?" Alison raised an eyebrow. Emily shrugged. "You're right I'm not gay." Alison admitted. "But I'm not straight or bisexual either." Brown eyebrows knitted in confusion. "I talk about guys with the girls sometimes yes, but it's mostly teasing and just a few comments." Alison clarified. "I actually thought there was something wrong with me because I couldn't feel attraction for anyone but you. But I looked it up. It's called demi sexual. It means that I don't feel sexually or physically attracted to someone until after I've become emotionally attached them."

The silence that fell between them was uncomfortable. It had never been like that before. Though neither of them was sure if the tension between them was negative or positive. Alison was vaguely aware of her state of undress, while Emily was fully aware of it.

Emily looked deeply into Alison's eyes. She made sure that Alison could see anything she wanted through the swimmer's eyes. "I realize that I messed up by not listening to you. You were right and I'm sorry Alison. Can you forgive me?"

Alison pursed her lips and thought over Emily's words. "Here's what's going to happen next. You're gonna let me get dressed. Then we'll get into our own cars and meet up at my place. Then we're going to fuck until one of us passes out, because I am that horny right now. Then I'll decide if I forgive you or not."

Emily smirked. She reached down and took Alison's lighter hand into her darker one and laid a kiss on the back of it. "As you command."

After Alison was dressed and they prepared to leave the locker room, Emily stopped her. "Wait a second." Alison stopped and glanced back in frustration. She really wanted to leave. She watched Emily dig into her jean pocket and pull out the silver chain with the blue diamond promise ring. The blonde smiled and reached for it. She felt extremely empty without that ring. Before Alison could grasp the chain, Emily pulled it out of her reach. A scowl fell onto Alison's face. Emily slipped the ring off of the silver chain and slipped the chain back into her pocket. With the ring in one hand she grasped onto Alison's hand with the other. Alison watched as Emily slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her left hand.

"Just incase anyone thinks they can come between us again. Or if anyone ever doubts my commitment to you." Emily explained. "I don't want anyone to think you're just my girlfriend. You're a lot more than that. You're my life."

Alison bit her lip trying to conceal the beaming smile that wanted to break free. "Take me home Em." She whispered, and Emily complied.

Certain Things by James Arthur

The next day at lunch everything was as it should be. Emily and Alison cuddled up together and sharing a lunch. The girls and Noel were extremely relieved to have things back to normal. The girls were exhausted from shielding Alison from Emily, and Noel was happy that he didn't have to see his sister so distraught anymore. He was the only one who knew Emily and Alison from the beginning of their relationship, so it was especially difficult for him to see their relationship on the rocks. Toby Cavanaugh was new to the group and didn't really know which side he was supposed to be on, so he remained neutral along with Caleb. Both Toby and Caleb were relieved also. They could have their girlfriends back now.

They were all laughing and joking around when grins dropped from faces, and tensions rose dramatically. Emily tensed beside Alison as her eyes caught onto what everyone else had. Maya was making her way inside the school, and their group sat at the picnic table near the entrance. Maya tried to keep her head down and go unnoticed by the group, but she was wildly unsuccessful.

"Hey, Maya." Fear ran through everyone's bones when they hear Alison call out to the enemy. Maya thought about ignoring the call, but the way she froze let Alison know that she had been heard. Maya shrugged her bag back into place on her shoulder and turned around.

"Alison." Maya greeted unwillingly.

Alison tilted her head to the side. "I was wondering how Rosewood high has been treating you." Both Caleb and Toby raised the brows in surprise. Spencer, Aria, and Hanna's eyes darted between Maya and Alison nervously. Noel smirked and leaned forward on his elbows. Emily didn't even blink as Alison greeted Maya. She stared unflinchingly at Maya with cold eyes.

Maya knew she would get no help from any of them. Just as Alison knew that Maya had been blacklisted in Rosewood High. Hell, in all of Rosewood. No one wanted to be associated with her in anyway after they found out that she was the reason Emison had broken up. Many of the students had let their displeasure with Maya known. People she had never met before had strong opinions about her. Rosewood was turning into a cold and lonely place for Maya St. Germain.

"Everything's fine." Maya said finally. "But I don't think that's what you want to talk about."

The corner of Alison's mouth twitched up. "No, it's not." She agreed. She held up the back of her left hand and wiggled her fingers. "You see that," she said referring to the ring. "This is the ring Emily gave me. Not you. It's something she picked out and gifted to me as proof of her commitment to me. Not you. This ring also tells people that she's mine. She will always be mine through her own choice. But humor me, since our little rough patch, did she ever seek you out? Did she ever chase after you the way she chased me? Did she ever even imply that she has any interest in you whatsoever?" Alison picked at any fantasy Maya had tried to make of Emily. She thought once Emily realized Alison wasn't her only option, that she would stand a chance. "That's because she has never wanted you and she never will." Alison finished.

Maya swallowed down her embarrassment and nodded in understanding. She turned to leave, wanting to flee the scene as soon as possible. She was aware that other students had turned their attention to the conversation she was having.

"Oh, and one more thing." Alison called out again. Maya paused in her exit and turned slowly back towards Alison. "I hope you enjoyed that kiss you stole, because it won't happen again. And I promise you, when you kissed her it wasn't Emily you were tasting." Maya's eyes widened and darted to Emily expecting to see her blush, or maybe look away in embarrassment. She did neither, choosing to stare back completely unaffected by Alison's words. Maya dropped her gaze and swiftly made her exit. Noel's laughter could be heard through the court yard. Emily elbowed him in the ribs, but it did nothing to deter him.

"Ouch." Hanna commented. Aria shook her head, while Spencer looked on in approval, and both Toby and Caleb were wide-eyed. Emily wrapped an arm around Alison's waist.

"Completely yours." She whispered into the blonde's ear.

Alison's face softened into a small smile. "I know." She whispered back. "But I'm still going to get even. I'm not the only person you've kissed now."

Emily scoffed. "Neither am I, remember Murphy."

"It was before the age of twelve, doesn't count." Alison replied. Emily huffed in reply.

Later that day Hanna and Caleb were at her locker. She was putting away her books and preparing to leave school for the day. Toby and Spencer met them there, since they were all riding together. Alison calling Hanna's name was the only warning given before Alison cupped Hanna's face and brought her into a searing kiss. Hanna being Hanna, wasted no time kissing back. All of the bystanders were gaping at them besides Emily who just shook her head.

Alison finally pulled back and pecked Hanna's lips one more time. She flashed her dimples at Hanna before walking off like nothing happened, with Emily following behind her.

"Feel better now?" Emily asked.

Alison smiled smugly. "Oh yeah."

 **So this is where I am going to end this one. If you would like you can favorite or follow this story because I plan to add more oneshots to this story. I plan to write about how Emily gave Alison the promise ring, and about how Noel came to live with the Fields. Maybe something more about Alison's relationship with Kenneth. I will definitely write some more of Emison after this scene.**

 **Please review. I want to know what you guys think about this story. I haven't found a story about Emily and Alison like this so I hope you guys enjoyed it.**

 **Review. Review. Review.**

 **If you have any oneshot ideas you think I should elaborate on with this story, feel free to let me know. I can't promise I'll write it, but I'd love to hear what part you guys want me to spend some more time on. Let me know what you think of the song choices.**


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